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Primers of Domestic Science. 


No. 3. 


FAMILIAR LESSONS FOR LITTLE GIRLS: 

A 

First Book 

OF THE 

Art or Cookery. 


FOR INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS AND FOR HOMES. 



Mrs. Harriet J. Willard. 



CHICAGO : 

GEO. SHERWOOD & COMPANY. 

1886 . 












Copyright, 1S86, 

By Geo. Sherwood & Company. 


PEEFACE. 


Primer No. 3 of this Domestic Science Series is now offered to 
the public, with the earnest hope that it may prove useful to those 
who are engaged in teaching young girls their first lessons in the art 
of cooking. It is prepared as a primer only ; and it will lead the 
pupil only the first few steps in the study of this most difficult 
science. 

Many of the receipts and special methods here presented have 
been used by the author in giving practical lessons in cooking to a 
class of young girls selected from the poorer districts in a large city. 

Special care has been taken to give directions for cooking the 
cereals in such ways as shall be both palatable and healthful. It has 
been noted that these economical and nutritious articles are not in 
common use, and are seldom well cooked. Some of our most accom¬ 
plished cooks will fail to make a palatable dish of mush or of oat¬ 
meal. If the directions given in this primer are carefully followed, 
the author feels sure that the results will be entirely satisfactory. 

Although this book is written especially for the young and inex¬ 
perienced, it is hoped that it may prove useful to some older house¬ 
keepers, by furnishing exact directions for many operations in 
cookery for which housekeepers usually have no definite rules or 
precise methods. 

The author returns her thanks to those whose kind approval of 
her former primers has encouraged her in the preparation of this one, 
which she hopes will win their commendation 





CONTENTS 


I. —Preparing the Fire for Cooking, ... 5 

II. —Coffee—Tea—Chocolate, - 7 

III. —Oatmeal — Corn-meal Mush — Graham Mush— 

Cracked Wheat — How to Make a Double 
Kettle — Hasty Pudding, .... 9 

IV. —Boiled Rice — Macaroni — Milk Sauce, - 13 

V. —Bean Soup — Stewed B bans — Hominy — Baked 

Beans — Hominy Balls,.15 

VI.—Potatoes, Boiled,—Lyonnaise, ... 18 

VII.—Potatoes, Baked — Stewed — Fried — Mashed, 20 

VIII.—Corn Batter-Cakes — Johnny Cakes, - - 23 

IX.—Bread-Making, - * - 25 

X.—Bread-Making—Graham Bread—Mush Bread, 28 

XI.—Eggs, Fried — Boiled'— Poached — Scrambled ; 

Omelet, Baked — Fried, .... 31 

XII.—Beefsteak, Broiled —Fried; Roast Beef — 

Baked Beef — Gravy,- .... 34 

XIII. —Apples, Baked—Stewed—Apple Sauce—Apple 

Pie,. 38 

XIV. —Custard, Baked—Boiled ; Corn-starch Pudding 

— Rice Podding,.41 

XV.—Cake and Pastry—Cup Cake—Ginger Cake — 

Plain Pastry — Dividing Eggs, ... 44 

XVI—Oysters—Raw, Stewed, Scalloped, ... 43 

XVII.—How to Cook a Plain Dinner, with a Salad, 50 

XVIII.—Hints to Young Housekeepers, - 52 

Songs,.- 55 






CHAPTER I. 


HOW TO PREPARE THE FIRE FOR COOKING. 

To cook, you need, first of all, to have heat. In order to 
have just the right kind of heat, you will need to know what 
is to be cooked. 

For baking, more heat is required than for boiling or 
frying. To make a baking fire, more kindling-wood should 
be used, and the fire built with more care, so that the heat 
will extend all around the oven. 

As soon as the first smoke is burnt off the fire, move or 
turn the damper, so as to throw the heat under the oven. 
Just as soon as sufficient heat is obtained, close the front 
damper. 

About once a month, clear all the passages about the 
oven and under it from ashes and soot. Learn, when the 
stove is new, the best way of doing this; and set some regu¬ 
lar time for doing this work, so that the baking may never 
be sjooiled by lack of draft in the stove. 

To make a quick and strong fire, put in but little coal at 
one time, and add more as soon as the smoke burns off from 
the first, until a sufficient quantity has been put in. The 
fire-box should not be filled entirely full. Never allow 
the coals to come up to the covers of the stove. (See, for 
full instruction about fires, the first chapter of the primer 
on Kitchen and Dining-Room Work.) 

RULES. 

1. Before beginning to cook, see that you have a good 
fire in the cook-stove. 


( 5 ) 





ART OF COOKERY. 


G 


2 . To make a baking fire, use plenty of kindling-wood, 
and put on the coal with great care. 

3. If the oven is to be heated, turn up the damper over 
the oven as soon as the smoke has burned off the fire. 

4. When the stove is sufficiently heated, close the front 
damper. 

5. Once a month, clear the stove entirely from ashes 
and soot, brushing all the passages about the oven. 

6. To make a quick hot fire, put in but little coal at a 
time, and add more as soon as the smoke is burned off. 

7. Do not fill the fire-box more than half full of coal. 

8. Never allow the top of the stove to become red-hot. 

Questions.— What is the first thing we need for cook¬ 
ing? How do we get the heat? Before building the fire, 
what should you know? What do you need for a baking 
fire? What do you do when the smoke is burned off the 
fire? How often do you clear the stove carefully? Why 
should you have a regular time for doing this work? How 
do you make a quick hot fire? How full should the fire-box 
be filled? What caution is given at the end? 

Comments. — In olden times, cooking was done before an open 
tire; the work was then very laborious and difficult to perform. Now, 
with the help of a good cooking-stove, the work is easy and pleasant; 


and a young girl can prepare a meal in good style and in good time. 


The management of the fire, however, requires some experience; 
indeed, it is a matter in which many experienced cooks often fail. A 
half bucket of coal, or even less, carelessly thrown into the stove, 
will often cause the dinner to be served half an hour late and very 
imperfectly cooked. If hard coal is used in the cook-stove, the tire 
should never be disturbed during the process of cooking a meal. 

Before the tire is needed, the stove should be examined, ashes 
shaken down, kindlers and coal added, if needed, in sufficient quan¬ 
tity to complete the cooking. Just as soon as the required heat is 
procured, the drafts maybe closed; then when additional heat is 
required, it is only necessary to open the drafts. If care is taken to 





HOW TO MAKE COFFEE, TEA, AND CHOCOLATE. 7 

close again the slides, the fire will last for many hours, provided all 
slag and dead cinders were removed when the fire was prepared. 

Soft coal fires must be renewed oftener; the coal should always 
be broken quite fine, about the size of an egg, and added in very 
small quantities, just enough at one time to cover the surface, but not 
to check the fire. A fire made entirely of wood may be more easily 
managed. 


CHAPTER IT. 

HOW TO MAKE COFFEE, TEA, AND CHOCOLATE. 

Ingredients for coffee: Three tablespoonfuls of coffee, 
one quart of water. 

Tea: One teaspoonful of tea, one pint of boiling water. 

Chocolate: One tablespoonful of grated chocolate, one 
half-pint of milk, one half-pint of water, and one table- 
spoonful of sugar. 

Coffee.— Have the coffeepot perfectly clean; then put 
in the coffee, add one pint of cold water, and set it upon 
the stove to heat. Just as soon as it begins to boil, add one 
half-pint more of cold water, and return it to the stove. 
When it comes to boil again, add the other half-pint of cold 
water, and let it just come to a boil again. Allow it to boil 
just one minute; then set the pot back where it will keep 
hot, but not boil. Just before it is sent to the table, add 
one teaspoonful of cold water. 

Tea.— To make g-ood tea, freshlv-boiled water is needed. 
Don’t set in the teakettle with the water which has been 
standing in it for hours; but pour the water all out, rinse 
the kettle and fill it with fresh water. When the water is 
boiling, pour some into the teapot, and rinse it well, allow¬ 
ing the hot water to remain long enough to heat the pot; 
then pour out this water, put one heaping teaspoon ful of 





8 


art of cookery. 


tea into the pot, and pour on to it one pint of the boiling 
water. Cover the pot, and let it stand to steep five minutes 
in a warm place. 

Chocolate.— Take a clean tin pan or sauce-pan, and 
put into it one half-pint of milk and the same quantity of 
water (hot water may be used); let it come to a boil. While 
the milk and water are heating, grate one tablespoonful of 
chocolate on to a plate, and mix with it one tablespoonful 
of sugar. When the milk boils, stir in the sugar and choco¬ 
late, and allow the mixture to boil five minutes. Serve the 
chocolate from a small pitcher. 

RULES. 

1. * To make coffee, you must have the coffeepot per¬ 
fectly clean. 

2. Do not allow coffee to boil more than one minute, 
but keep it very hot till the time of serving. 

3. Settle coffee with a little cold water. 

4. To make tea, have freshly boiled water. 

5. Have the teapot well scalded, and the water boiling 
hard when poured upon the tea. 

6. Never allow the tea to boil, but keep it in a hot 
place to steep for five minutes. 

7. To make chocolate, have the milk and water boiling 
before putting in the chocolate and sugar. 

Questions. —What have we learned to make in this les¬ 
son? What ingredients are needed to make one quart of 
coffee? What for one pint of tea? What for one pint of 
chocolate? What about the coffeepot? How long should 
coffee boil? Tell just how you have learned to make one 
quart of coffee? 

What kind of water do you need to make good tea? 
Tell how to make tea? 

What is the first thing to do to make one pint of choco¬ 
late? What next? How long should it boil? 


HOW TO COOK MUSHES AND CRACKED WHEAT. 


9 


Comments. —I have given the simplest directions for making 
coffee, tea and chocolate. Eggs are generally used for settling coffee; 
hut very good coffee may be made without eggs. If an egg is to be 
used, it should be stirred into the dry coffee with a little cold water, 
and allowed to stand for a few minutes before the water is added. 
After the coffee has soaked in this way, boiling water may be added, 
if haste is required; and only a little cold water then is to be added 
several times, to put back the boiling. What we want in coffee is to 
keep it just at the boiling point, but not to allow it to boil. The tine 
flavor of coffee is spoiled by boiling. 

Java and Mocha mixed make the best coffee, but these are too 
expensive for common use; and the Old Rio, if well prepared, makes 
a pleasant coffee. 

Of course, in making tea more or less may be used, to suit the 
taste; but strong tea is very injurious to the health, and not desirable 
for family use. 

Chocolate or cocoa is a delightful breakfast drink, and is not any 
more expensive than tea or coffee, supposing, of course, that cream 
and sugar are used with tea and coffee. Boiling water with sugar 
and cream, or with good milk, makes a pleasant and nourishing 
drink; and this is said to furnish nourishment in the quickest possi 
ble way to one who is faint and weary. It is not generally known 
that coffee and tea really furnish no nutriment; they stimulate, and 
thus refresh; but the only nutriment from them is contained in the 
milk and sugar added. 


CHAPTER III. 

HOW TO COOK OATMEAL, CORNMEAL AND GRAHAM 
MUSHES, AND CRACKED WHEAT. 

Oatmeal Mush. —Ingredients required for a quantity 
sufficient for six persons. Two quarts of water one pint of 
meal, and one teaspoonful of salt. Time, one hour. 

Have the kettle perfectly clean and free from rust. Put 
the water and salt into it, and set it on the fire to boil, 
covering the pot with a tight - fitting .cover. When the 






10 


ART OF COOKERY. 


water boils hard, sprinkle in the meal, stirring all the time. 
Check the heat to prevent boiling over, and stir constantly 
till the mush begins to thicken up. 

After fifteen minutes of brisk boiling and stirring, set 
the pot back where it will cook slowly, and cover it again, 
stirring only occasionally. Be careful to clean the mush 
from the bottom of the kettle in stirring, but stir gently ; 
never beat it violently. It should not be stirred at all in 
the last twenty minutes of cooking. Forty-five minutes 
time is required after the water boils. 




Cornmeal Mush.— This requires the same proportions 
of meal, water and salt as the oatmeal mush. The corn- 
meal, however, should be stirred in very slowly to prevent 
lumping. Stir with the right hand, and sprinkle in the 
meal through the fingers of the left hand, holding the hand 
high above the pot. The water must be boiling very hard, 
and the meal should be warmed before using it, to prevent 
its cooling the water. 

If the water stops boiling while you are thickening, stop 
at once and wait till it boils again. After the meal is all 
in, set it where it will cook gently for half an hour, stirring 
occasionally. 


Graham Mush.— Two quarts of water to one pint and 
a half of graham flour ; one teaspoonful of salt. The water 
must boil hard : then the flour is sprinkled in briskly, but 
carefully, to prevent lumping. Stir constantly for five 
minutes, when it may be taken up. 


Cracked Wheat.— For cracked wheat, the proportion 
of water to the grain should be greater : one cup of wheat 
to five cups of water. It may be cooked just the same as 
the oatmeal, only cook it two hours instead of one. 



HOW TO COOK MUSHES AND CRACKED WHEAT. 


11 


RULES. 

1. For all mushes, have the water boiling before the 
the grain is sprinkled in. 

2. Watch carefully to prevent burning. 

3. Do not stir the mush after it is set back to simmer 
slowly. 

4. For oatmeal and cornmeal, take one part meal to 
four of water. 

5. For graham, one and one half parts to four of water; 
and for cracked wheat, one part to five of water. 

Questions. —What are the ingredients for oatmeal 
mush, sufficient for six persons ? What time is required? 
What do you do first ? What next ? How do you put .the 
oatmeal into the water ? How long should you stir the 
mush and boil it fast ? When it thickens up, what do you 
do ? How long should it cook after the meal is put in, to 
have it ready for the table ? 

In making cornmeal mush, how do you put in the meal ? 
How should the meal be prepared ? What about the 
water ? 

How is graham mush made ? What are the proportions 
of water, flour and salt ? What time is required for cook¬ 
ing graham mush ? What are the proportions of grain to 
water in cracked wheat ? How long must it be cooked ? 

Comments. —Oatmeal is so generally used at the present time, 
that it is of great importance to learn just the best way of preparing it. 

If a double kettle can be had, it is much better to take the mush 
from the pot in which it is first boiled as soon as it begins to thicken 
up, and put it into the double kettle and thus boil it one hour. Fif¬ 
teen minutes of brisk boiling in the open pot greatly improves the 
flavor over entire cooking in the double kettle, and hastens the pro¬ 
cess of cooking. 

I say cook an hour in the double kettle, thus giving an hour and 
a quarter to the entire process ; but if there is need of haste, three 
quarters of an hour will do. Care should be taken to have the water 
boiling hard when the meal is first sprinkled in. 


12 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Never soak tlie meal over night, or wet it up first in cold water 
This rule applies to all mushes. If oatmeal is to be prepared for 
breakfast, the water for the mush, and also the water in the double 
kettle, should be put on just as soon as the fire is lighted. 

When the mush is removed to the double kettle, no further care 
is required. It may be left to boil till all'the other articles for break¬ 
fast are prepared. Never stir it after it is put into the double kettle. 

A double kettle may be easily made by using a covered tin pail, 
set into a pot with just water enough in it to avoid floating the tin pail, 
which, of course is supposed to be filled with the mush. Cover the 
large pot; then no further care is required, except to keep it boiling 
and not allow the water to become exhausted from the outer kettle. 
Fill up, when necessary, with hot water. 

The secret of success in making cornmeal mush is to have the 
first impression of heat upon the grains of the meal very intense, To 
accomplish this the meal should be hot and the water boiling hard. 
To prepare mush to be used for frying, put in a little more meal, and 
take it up while hot, in a square pan, that it may be cut into neat 
slices when cold. 

Graham mush should properly be called hasty pudding ; for it 
should be cooked very quickly. It is very pleasant food when used 
with milk or cream and sugar. 

Both oatmeal and cornmeal should be fresh from the mill to be 
of good quality. There is a choice in both these articles. It is always 
well to take pains to get the best which the market affords. 

Cracked wheat should always be cooked in a double kettle ; and 
two or even three hours are required to make it properly. If it is to 
be cooked three hours, use one cup of wheat to six cups of water. 
When cooked, take it up in bowls and set it to cool : it is much better 
eaten cold. The best “cracked wheat” is really mashed grain, 
passed between rollers. 



RICE AND MACARONI. 


13 


CHAPTER IV. 

RICE AND MACARONI. 

Rice.— Ingredients: One teacupful of rice, one teacup¬ 
ful of sweet milk, three cupfuls of water, and one half-tea- 
spoonful of salt. Time, one hour. 

First, wash the rice in several waters, and pick out the 
dark-colored grains; then put the rice, with the milk, water 
and salt, into a covered tin pail, and set the pail into a large 
kettle, with just enough hot water in it to allow the tin pail 
to rest on the bottom of the kettle. If too much water is 
put into the outer kettle, the pail will iloat and turn over. 
Cover the kettle, and leave it to boil one hour. 

Occasionally uncover the kettle to see if the water is 
boiling away; add hot water as it boils out. Do not stir or 
uncover the rice while cooking. 

Macaroni. —Ingredients: One half-pound of macaroni, 
two quarts of water, one teaspoonful of salt. For the milk 
sauce: One tablespoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of 
flour, one teacupful of sweet milk, and a little salt, if 
needed. 

First, put the water on the stove to boil; then break the 
macaroni into pieces one inch in length; put the salt into 
the water, and when it boils drop in the macaroni; let it 
boil for twenty minutes, or until it is quite soft, stirring it 
occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the kettle. When 
the macaroni is done, skim it out into a dish and cover it 
with cold water. 

To make the milk sauce, put the butter into a saucepan 
to melt; when it begins to cook, stir in the flour carefully; 










14 


ART OF COOKERY. 


then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring all the time. 
As the sauce thickens, add more milk, and wait till it boils, 
stirring continually. When the milk is all in, and it has 
cooked one minute, put in the macaroni, having first drained 
off all the cold water. Allow the macaroni to cook in the 
sauce a few minutes, when it is ready to be served. 

RULES. 

1. See that the cooking utensils are clean and ready 

for use, and the ingredients are at hand. *• 

2. Always wash rice carefully before using it. 

3. Do not try to guess at the quantity required, but 
measure everything used. 

4. Never stir rice while it is cooking. 

5. Macaroni should always be put into the boiling 
water dry. 

C>. Macaroni should be soaked in cold water after it is 
boiled, to remove the strong taste. 

Questions. —What are the ingredients for boiled rice? 
What time is required? What do you do first? What next? 
What is said about uncovering the kettle? Should rice be 
stirred while cooking? 

What are the ingredients for macaroni? When do you 
put the macaroni into the water? How long should it boil? 
Why do you stir it? What do you do when it is cooked 
soft? How do you make the sauce? What is the last thing 
to be done? 

Comments. —Rice is a very valuable article of food; indeed, in 
many countries it forms the only food of the people. It may be 
cooked in a variety of ways. I have given one of the simplest. Any 
child of ten years can learn to cook it as directed above. If the cook 
has a double kettle, she will use it in place of the tin pail and kettle. 
Rice may be boiled in an open kettle; but there is always danger of 
burning down to the bottom; and the stirring which is required to 
prevent this spoils the appearance and taste of the rice. 




HOW TO COOK BEANS AND HOMINY. 


15 


I wish I could impress every reader of this little hook with the 
fact that macaroni is a most healthful and economical article of food, 
and should be in more common use among all classes of people. In 
reading the directions it may seem a little troublesome to cook it; hut 
it is really very easy. The imported macaroni is the best; this always 
comes in neat, well-covered packages, and does not require washing. 
If the American is used, each stick should be carefully wiped with a 
dry towel before it is broken. The flavor is quite improved by drop¬ 
ping it into the boiling water while dry. After it is boiled, it maybe 
covered with cold water and set away to use the next day. 

There are many ways of preparing it after it is first boiled as above 
directed; one of the most common is to bake it with grated cheese. 
Save bits of cheese which have become somewhat dry, and grate • 
them, taking one teacupful of grated cheese to one half-pound of 
macaroni. 

Take a baking dish and cover the bottom with a layer of the 
boiled macaroni, and sprinkle over it a part of the cheese; continue 
this, putting in layers of macaroni and cheese alternately, till all is 
put into the dish; then pour over it one teacupful of sweet milk, and 
lay on the top a few bits of butter and some cracker crumbs. Put 
the dish in the oven, and bake twenty minutes 


CHAPTER V. 

HOW TO COOK BEANS AND HOMINY. 

Bean Soup.—Ingredients: One pint of beans, two 
quarts of cold water, one onion and one slice of salt pork. 

Pick over the beans, throwing out the imperfect ones; 
then wash them and put them on to boil in the water. After 
they have boiled fifteen or twenty minutes, take the vessel 
from the fire and carefully turn off all the water and put on 
the same quantity of fresh cold water. Now add the pork, 
which should be washed, and the onion. Cook slowly for 
three hours, adding more water if the water boils out. You 
should have two quarts of the soup when cooked. 







1G 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Just before serving the soup, pass it through a colander, 
rubbing all through with a spoon, except the skins of the 
beans. 

Stewed Beans. —Take one pint of beans prepared and 
parboiled as for soup. Put to these three pints of water, a 
bit of pork, and also an onion may be added. Stew them 
slowly for two hours, or until they are soft, but not broken 
to pieces. 

Stir the beans occasionally to prevent burning. The 
pork and the onion may be laid aside when the beans are 
served; we put them in for their flavor. Just before taking 
them from the pot, add a bit of soda of the size of a bean, 
and salt'to the taste. 

Hominy.—T ake one pint of hominy to five pints of 
water and one full teaspoonful of salt. 

Take a clean vessel which will not rust (an earthen crock 
is best) and put the hominy to soak in the water in which it 
is to be cooked. Set the vessel upon the back of the stove 
where it will be kept warm, but not boil, and allow it to 
stand twentv-four hours, or until the next dav; then set it 
where it will cook slowly for two hours. Add the salt, and 
stir occasionally to prevent it from burning, but not enough 
to break up the grains. The vessel should be kept care¬ 
fully covered while cooking. 

RULES. 

1. For bean soup, use one pint of beans, one onion, 
one slice of salt pork and three quarts of water. 

2. Wash the beans and put them to cook in cold 
water. 

3. After the beans have boiled fifteen minutes change 
the water, and add the onion and the pork. 

4. Strain the soup before serving it. 








HOW TO COOIv BEANS AND IIOMINY. 


17 


o. Prepare stewed beans in the same way, with less 
water and less time for cooking. 

G. For hominy, take live pints of water to one pint of 
hominy. 

7. Hominy should be soaked in warm water a long 
time before it is cooked. 

Questions.— What do you learn to cook in this lesson? 
How do you prepare beans for cooking? What must be 
done after they have been cooking a little time? What 
are the ingredients for bean soup? How long should it be 
cooked? How do you cook stewed beans? How much 
water do you take for one pint of hominy? How long 
should hominy be soaked before it is cooked? 

Comments. —The most common method of cooking beans is by 
baking them. New England people are especially fond of them 
cooked in this way. I do not consider the ordinary preparation of 
• baked beans as healthy food for most people. 

The beans are boiled first until they are partly cooked, the pork 
being cooked with them. They are then taken from the boiling ket¬ 
tle. and put into an earthen vessel made for the purpose with a tight- 
fitting cover. One lialf-cup of molasses is stirred into the beans, 
and the pork, with the rind cut into small squares, is placed in the 
jar, and all left in a moderate oven to bake from six to eight hours. 
Water is added from time to time as needed to prevent them from 
becoming too dry. 

The process may be greatly simplified and shortened by stewing 
the beans as directed above, until they are soft, but not broken, and 
then putting them into an open baking dish and baking them one- 
half hour. For persons with delicate stomachs, the pork should be 
left out altogether, and a little butter put over the beans just as they 
are set into the oven. 

The pork may be omitted from the bean soup, and bones of mut¬ 
ton or beef substituted. Hominy, if well cooked, makes a very 
pleasant and healthful food. It should be cooked till very soft, and 
kept white and free from burn. Hominy requires more salt than 
some other grains; but one particle too much salt spoils it entirely; 
so season it with care, 

2 






18 


ART OF COOKERY. 


To prepare a very nice breakfast dish, mix a cup of dry flour 
with a teaspoonful of baking powder; then make up the cold hom¬ 
iny into balls or croquettes and roll them very thoroughly in the 
flour, and fry them in a small quantity of very hot fat. 


CHAPTER VI. 

HOW TO BOIL POTATOES. 

Potatoes may be boiled with the skins on, or they may 
be pared first. Potatoes which are fresh and of good.qual¬ 
ity are more perfectly cooked without removing the skin. 

Select potatoes which are of nearly the same size; wash 
them thoroughly, using a small brush to scrub them. Take 
a knife and cut away any bad places in the potato. 

Have the water boiling when the potatoes are put in; 
cover the pot, and keep it boiling slowly till they are tender 
enough to allow a fork to pierce them. Large potatoes will 
require one half hour to cook. When done, take off the 
pot and pour out the water; set it on the back of the stove, 
and cover the potatoes with a clean towel to keep in the 
heat and absorb the steam. They may stand thus for five 
minutes, but not longer. 

If jDotatoes are allowed to stand after they are cooked, 
they soon become soggy, and are not fit to eat. Serve the 
potatoes in a hot covered dish, with the skins on them. If 
you attempt to skin them before serving, they will become 
cooled too much. 

If the potatoes are old, or if for any reason it is best to 
peel them, wash them as before; then take a small, sharp 
knife and take off a thin peeling, very carefully cutting 
away the eyes with the point of the knife. Allow the 



1IOW TO BOIL POTATOES. 


19 


potatoes to soak in cold water an hour before boiling; put 
them into just enough boiling water to cover the potatoes, 
salting it slightly. 

Remember that nothing is gained by having the water 
boil violently. Potatoes will cook just as fast in water that 
is boiling moderately; less steam is produced, and there is 
less danger of the kettle becoming dry. 

Just as soon as the potatoes can be pierced with a fork, 
take off the kettle, drain out the water, and allow the pota¬ 
toes to stand a few minutes covered with a towel, as directed 
before. Serve the potatoes in a hot covered dish. 

RULES. 

1. Select potatoes for boiling which are of nearly the 
same size. 

2 . If the potatoes are fresh, wash them thoroughly and 
boil them with the skins on. 

3. Do not allow the water to boil violently. 

4. Pierce the potatoes with a fork to see if they are 
well cooked. 

5. Just as soon as they are done, pour off the water, 
and lay a folded towel over the potatoes. 

6. Serve in a hot covered dish. 

7. To peel potatoes, use a sharp, small knife, and take 
off a thin peeling and cut out the eyes. 

Questions.— When shall the potatoes be peeled? How do 
you select potatoes to be boiled? How do you wash them? 
How can you tell when the potatoes are cooked enough? 
How long should large potatoes be boiled? When the 
potatoes are done, what do you do with them? How long 
may they be allowed to stand before they are served? If 
they are allowed to stand too long, what happens to them? 
How do you peel potatoes? Tell just how they are to be 
boiled. 





20 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Comments. —In buying potatoes, clioose those which have smooth 
skins and are free from cuts. A potato which is white when cooked 
is always better than one which is tinted with any color. No vege¬ 
table is in such common and almost universal use as the potato, and 
yet it seldom comes to our tables well cooked. 

Potatoes are so often imperfect in some way that it is generally 
best to have them carefully peeled before they are boiled. The skin 
of a potato which has been exposed to the sun will be of a greenish 
color; and if boiled without removing the skin, the potato will be 
strong and unpleasant to the taste. 

Old potatoes should be peeled and soaked in cold water for sev¬ 
eral hours. Never allow a potato to lie in warm or hot water which 
is not boiling. The effect of moderate heat seems to resemble that 
of the sun in causing the potato to have a strong taste. 

New potatoes, after washing, should be rubbed with a rough 
towel to remove the skin — scraping them with a knife will discolor 
the potatoes. Cook as directed for peeled potatoes, and serve with a 
milk dressing poured over them, for the making of which see Chap¬ 
ter IV. 

Lyonnaise Potatoes —Take fresh boiled potatoes and slice 
them in rather thick slices. Slice one small onion; fry it in a table¬ 
spoonful of butter until it is soft; then put in the potatoes, sprinkle 
with salt, and fry carefully, turning the slices till the pieces are all 
nicely browned. One tablespoonful of chopped parsley, thrown in 
just before the potatoes are served, completes the preparation of the 
dish. 


CHAPTER VII. 

POTATOES—BAKED, STEWED, OR FRIED. 

Baked Potatoes. —For baking, select smooth potatoes, 
all of about the same size. Wash and scrub them very 
thoroughly ; rinse, and wipe them with a clean towel. Put 
them into a baking pan, and set them into the oven to 
bake. The oven should be as hot as is required for baking 
bread, when the potatoes are set in, and the heat should be 



POTATOES—BAKED, STEWED, OR FRIED. 21 

increased somewhat as the baking proceeds. From one 
half to three quarters of an hour will be required for medi¬ 
um-sized potatoes. 

To see if the potatoes are done, take a towel in the hand 
and squeeze each slightly ; just as soon as you feel that 
they can be mashed, they are ready for the table, and should 
be served and eaten without delay. 

Stewed Potatoes.— Pare and cut into thick slices, or 
into squares, the potatoes required ; place them in a stew- 
pan and cover with water ; add a little salt; simmer gently 
till the potatoes can be pierced with a fork ; about ten min¬ 
utes will be required. Pour the water off carefully, and 
allow the kettle to stand on the back of the stove for 
two or three minutes, covered with a towel. Put the 
potatoes into a hot dish, being careful not to break the 
pieces ; then pour over them a milk dressing, as directed in 
Chapter IV. 

I* c 

Fried Potatoes. —Cold boiled potatoes may be used for 
frying. If the potatoes were not pared before they were 
boiled, they should always be peeled before they are set 
away, while they are still warm. Take a clean smooth skil¬ 
let, and put into it two tablespoonfuls of nice drippings 
from meat ; or a mixture of lard and butter may be used. 
Cut the potatoes into thin slices, and put them into the fat 
when it is hot. Sprinkle a little salt over them, and cover 
with a tight-fitting cover. 

Uncover them frequently, and stir to prevent their 
sticking to the skillet. The fire under the skillet should 

o 

not be hot enough to burn them. If the cover is kept on, 
the potatoes will be cooked in part by the steam, and will 
be much softer and nicer than when allowed to fry in an 
open skillet. Allow fifteen minutes for frying potatoes. 






22 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Raw potatoes may be fried in the same way, except that 
they must be sliced very thin, fried longer, and kept well- 
covered, with extra care not to burn them. Turn them to 
cook both sides. 

RULES. 

1 Potatoes which are to be baked should first be 
washed and scrubbed, and then wiped dry. 

2. Have the oven hot, and allow thirty to lorty-five 
minutes for baking. 

3. Baked potatoes should be served and eaten just as 
soon as they are done. 

4. Stewed potatoes should not be boiled so hard or so 
much as to soften them and break them to pieces. 

5. Serve stewed potatoes with a milk dressing. 

6. Boiled potatoes which are left for frying should 
always be peeled before they are set away. 

7. Have the fat hot when potatoes are put in to fry. 
Keep them covered, and never allow them to burn. 

Questions. —How do you select potatoes for baking ? 
How should potatoes be washed for baking ? How do you 
know when the potatoes are done ? Why should baked 
potatoes be eaten as soon as taken out of the oven ? How 
do you prepare potatoes for stewing ? How long should 
they stew ? How do you dress stewed potatoes ? Tell 
how to make a milk gravy, as directed in Chapter IV ? 
What kind of potatoes is generally used for frying ? What 
is the rule for frying potatoes ? 

Comments. —The secret of having good baked potatoes lies in 
having them put in to bake at just the right time to be done when the 
meal is served. If the breakfast cannot be served at a regular hour, 
it is better to have potatoes cooked in some other way. as a baked 
potato, which has been allowed to lie and become soggy and shrunken, 
is a most worthless thing, and should never be set upon a well- 
ordered table. 


POTATOES—BAKED, STEWED, OR FRIED. 


23 


Mashed Potatoes are prepared from potatoes properly boiled, 
according to the directions of the previous chapter. It is best to boil 
them in a nice kettle in which they can be mashed without taking 
them out. With a potato-masher, break them all down into a mass 
that is alike all through ; if there should be one potato that is too 
hard to mash well, take it out ; for one hard potato will spoil the 
whole dish, making it all lumpy. Add a small bit of butter, some 
salt, and a very little hot milk or cream. When all is well mixed, 
dish carefully, smoothing the surface with a knife, to make it regular 
and even. It would seem a very simple thing to prepare a well fla¬ 
vored dish of mashed potatoes ; and yet few cooks succeed in mak¬ 
ing this popular dish really palatable. They fail to cook the potatoes 
thoroughly, or leave a little water in the kettle, or put in too much or 
too little salt, or dash in too much cold milk. 

The potato comes next to bread in importance as an article of 
food ; and every little girl in the country should know just how to 
cook it in the most perfect manner. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

CORN BATTER-CAKES AND JOHNNY-CAKES. 

Corn Batter-Cakes. —Ingredients : One pint of corn- 
meal, one half-pint of boiling water, one pint of sweet milk, 
two eggs, and one half-teaspoonful of salt. 

Put one quarter of the meal into a pan with the salt; 
then pour the water upon it and stir all the lumps out care¬ 
fully; next add the milk and the eggs, first beating the 
eggs; the rest of the meal may now be stirred in, carefully 
mashing the lumps. 

Have the griddle hot enough to smoke when the grease 
is put on. To grease the griddle take a small, clean cloth 
and dip it in the grease and rub the griddle with it thor¬ 
oughly. When the griddle is greased, stir the batter again 
and put one spoonful in each cake. 





24 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Do not try to turn the cakes until they are cooked all 
through, as they are very tender and liable to break. After 
they are turned they may be taken from the griddle just as 
soon as they will come up easily. 

Place the cakes upon a hot plate, in neat piles, and 
serve hot. 

9 

Corn Johnny-Cakes. —Ingredients: One pint of corn- 
meal, one half-teaspoonful of salt, and one pint of boiling 
water. 

Put the meal in a pan with the salt; then pour over it 
enough boiling water to make it into a rather stiff batter, 
just stiff enough to allow the spoon to stand upright in the 
dough. 

Have the griddle hot and well greased; then have a bowl 
of cold water at hand, and dip your hands into it, and 
quickly form the dough into cakes one-half inch thick and 
put them on the griddle. The cakes must be left till about 
half-baked, and then turned over to bake the other side. 
Some time will be required to bake these cakes, and the 
griddle must not be so hot as to burn them. When baked, 
place them on a tin plate and set them into the oven ? and 
allow them to bake for fifteen minutes. 

RULES. 

1. See that the griddle is very clean and smooth. 

2. Be sure that the water is boiling hard, when you 
pour it over the meal. 

3. Have the griddle just as hot as it can be without 
burning. 

4. After taking off the cakes always rub the griddle 
till it is smooth and clean with a greased cloth, before put¬ 
ting on more cakes. 


CORN BATTER-CAKES AND JOHNNY-CAKES. 


25 


5. Do not try to turn the cakes till they are cooked 
enough to leave the griddle without breaking. 

6. Put the cakes on a hot plate and serve them hot. 

Questions.— What are the ingredients for corn batter- 
cakes? How much of the meal do you scald? How do 
you know when the griddle is hot enough? How do you 
grease the griddle? How much do you put in one cake? 
How do you make Johnny-cakes? After the cakes are 
baked on the griddle, what do you do with them? 

Comments. —In purchasing corn-meal, great pains should be 
taken to buy that which is fresh. White meal makes sweeter bread 
than the yellow. 

I have given but two out of the many ways of cooking corn- 
meal. Cakes made by the first method will be found veiy delicate 
and palatable; they are rather difficult to bake, but will repay the 
trouble. Invalids may eat them, oftentimes, if they are well-made 
and baked without much grease. 

If the corn-meal is not fresh, the cakes are improved by adding 
a quarter of a teaspoonful of soda. If it is found very difficult to 
bake them without breaking, add to the batter a little wheat flour. 

The Johnny-cakes are greatly improved by the slight additional 
baking in the oven, and can more easily be served hot. This method 
of preparing corn bread is so simple and cheap, and gives such deli¬ 
cious cakes, that it is strange that it is so little used. 


CHAPTER IX. 

BREAD-MAKING. 

Ingredients for four loaves of bread: Three quarts of 
wheat flour, three pints of warm water, one middle-sized 
potato, two cents’ worth of compressed yeast, and one tea¬ 
spoonful of salt. 

Three things are required to make good bread: First, 
the best wheat flour; next, good, fresh yeast; and last, a 






20 


ART OF COOKERY. 


warm place to set the bread to rise. Begin the work early 
in the morning, so that the baking may be finished in good 
season. Have tilings ready the night before. 


Setting tiie Sponge. —First, peel the potato, cut it into 
slices, and put it to boil; then sift the flour, and put half of 
it near the stove to warm, in a large earthen bowl. Put 
the yeast to soak in a cup of warm water. 

When the potato is cooked soft, mash it carefully in the 
water in which it was boiled, and rub it all through a strainer. 
This we call the potato water. Next, dissolve the yeast 
carefully in the water in which it was soaked. 

If the potato water is now still too warm for mixing (it 
must be just blood-warm) add a little cold water. 

Now take the bowl of flour and pour into it the dissolved 
yeast and the potato water, measuring each in a pint cup. 
If these do not make three pints, add enough warm water 
to make this amount. 

Take a large spoon and stir all together very thoroughly, 
beating the sponge till all is well mixed; cover the bowl 
with a tight-fitting cover, and set it in a warm place. The 
drying-oven of the stove, if the fire is low, will be a good 
place. Take care that it does not get too hot, for any 
slight scald will spoil the bread. 

The sponge should be very light in two hours; it should 
double its bulk, and be very frothy and light in appearance. 
The time required, however, will depend upon the regular 
warmth of the place in which it stands. 


RULES. 

1. Have the very best flour, fresh yeast, and a warm 
place to raise the bread. 

2. Have everything ready the night before you wish to 


BREAD-MAKING. 


27 


I make the bread, so that the sponge may be set early in the 
morning. 

3. For sponge for four loaves of bread, use two cents’ 
worth ol yeast, one potato, three pints of flour and the same 
measure of water. 

4. Cover the sponge, and set it to rise in a warm 
place. 

5. Never make up the bread until the sponge is very 
light. 

Questions. —What are the ingredients for four loaves 
of bread? What three things are required to make good 
bread? Why do you begin to make bread early in the 
morning? Tell how you make up the sponge? Give the 
rules. 

Comments. —In warm weather the bread will be very light and 
good without using the potato; but inexperienced bread-makers will 
do well to use potatoes, as they assist the process of fermentation. 
In giving the proportions of flour and water, I give the amount re¬ 
quired with the best patent flour. Some flour requires less water, 
and some, more; it is hardly possible to give exact rules for bread¬ 
making. I think that if the Minnesota patent flour is used, and the 
compressed yeast, the measures given above will be found correct. 

Bread should never be started over night, as the process needs 
to be watched, and the fermentation checked at just the right time. 
If the sponge is not made into dough when it is just light enough, it 
will soon begin to fall, and then it becomes sour, or at least loses the 
sweetness of the first fermentation. 

If dried yeast is used, the yeast should be started at night. To 
do this, boil the potato and scald a cup of flour with boiling-hot 
water; and when it has cooled to blood-heat, stir in the mashed potato 
an 1 the dried yeast, well-dissolved in a little warm water. This mix¬ 
ture should be started at night, and will be ready to use for making 
up the sponge in the usual way in the morning. An even tempera¬ 
ture of about ninety degrees is required for raising bread. 

It will not do to set it near a hot stove and leave the outside 



28 


ART OF COOKERY. 



door open, thus scalding one side and cooling the other. Doors, 
even in quite warm weather, should be kept shut, and the bread set 
where the warmth will be regular and constant, 


CHAPTER X. 


BRE AD-M AKIN G. — continued. 


Making up the Bread. — First put the salt into the 
sponge and stir it well. Now stir in as much of the flour 
as can be stirred in with a spoon, then knead and work 
more flour in with the hands. Just as soon as the dough 


can be managed, flour the molding-board and take the 
dough out and work it upon the board. Take a knife and 


clean all the dough from the bowl and till the bowl with 


water to soak. 

Continue workina- the douodi till it becomes smooth and 
leaves the hands and board easily. It should be worked 
about twenty minutes. Now wash the bowl and dry it, and 
grease it with lard. Then return the dough to the bowl, 
cover it with a clean towel and set it in a warm place to 
rise. 

This rising will require from two three hours. The 


dough should more than double its bulk and when pressed 
with the hand, should at once resume its form. Now pre¬ 
pare the baking pans by warming them and rubbing them 
with a clean bit of rag which has been well dipped in 


grease. 


Turn the dough from the bowl upon the board, which 
should be clean and lightly floured. With a knife divide 
the dough into four parts, and mold each part into a proper 
shaped loaf to fit the pan. Use just as little flour as pos¬ 
sible for this working. If the hands are dry and slightly 








BREAD-MAKING. 


29 


greased the dough may be handled without flour. Again, 
set the bread to rise, one hour should be quite enough this 
time. See that the fire is in good condition for baking. 

The oven should not be too hot, just hot enough to 
brown a little flour if set in upon a dish. Bake about 
three-quarters of an hour, or until a broom straw may be 
passed through the loaf and come out clean. When the 
bread is taken from the oven, take it from the pans and set 
it in the air, for a few minutes, then cover it with a towel 
and let it cool. 

RULES. 

1. Put the salt in the sponge and stir it thoroughly. 

2. Mix the flour, first with a spoon and then with the 
hands, until the dough is stiff enough to work on the board. 

3. Put the dough on the molding board and clean the 
bowl with a knife, saving every scrap of dough and work¬ 
ing it in. 

O ' 

4. Work the dough about twenty minutes. 

Set the bread in a warm place to rise for two or three 
hours. 

6. In making the bread into loaves use just as little 
flour as possible. 

7. See that the fire is just right and the oven hot 
before setting in the bread. 

Questions.— What is the first thing to do? How do 
you put in the flour? How do you take the dough from 
the bowl? How long should the dough be worked? What 
do you do with the bread when it is worked enough? How 
long should the dough rise this time? How do you prepare 
the" pans? How mold the loaves? What do you do to 
prepare the oven for baking? How long should the bread 
bake? Repeat the rules. 

Comments. —Very nice bread may be made by putting the 
dough into the baking pans when the dough is first made up. With 










30 


ART OF COOKERY. 


some flour it is better to do so, but generally the bread is finer and 
better for the double rising. 

If Graham bread is to be made the sponge may be divided and 
a part used for the graham. Graham bread is made by thickening 
up the sponge with the graham flour and adding a tablespoonful of 
molasses to each loaf of bread. Graham bread should be made a 
little softer than the white bread, and never raised twice. It requires 
a little more time to rise generally. 

A very nutritious and pleasant variety of bread is made with the 
addition of corn-meal, by this receipt. 

In the evening make a stiff corn mush in the usual way. When 
the mush is cooled to blood heat, work into it with the hand a small 
quantity of yeast, being careful to work the } r east with all the mush. 
Cover the vessel containing the mush and leave it to rise till morn¬ 
ing. In the morning it will be light and soft. Knead into it as 
much white flour as will make it into a stiff dough. Let it rise two 
or three hours and then work it into loaves, using as little flour as 
possible. Let it rise again a half hour, and then bake in a pretty hot 
oven. 

Bread is the most perfect food for all classes and conditions of 
men, and so it becomes of the greatest importance in the family to 
have good bread, and not only good bread, but the best bread that 
can be made from the grains. 

Let us not be satisfied with anything short of perfection in the 
art of bread-making, Long practice in this art does not always 
bring proficiency. We have all known women who have always 
made bread for their families, but who have never mastered the very 
first rudiments of knowledge of the art. 

Let all young girls learn to make good bread. 



EGGS—FRIED, BOILED, POACHED, OMELET. 


31 


CHAPTER XI. 

EGGS —FRIED, BOILED, POACHED, OMELET. 

Do not cook eggs for the table unless you have those 
which are perfectly fresh. 

Fried Eggs. —For frying eggs, use the fat from ham or 
salt pork. Have the fat hot; break each egg into a saucer, 
and put it into the hot fat very carefully, to keep the egg 
in a neat form and to prevent the yolk from breaking. 
Allow each one to cook slightly before another is put in, so 
that the eg^s shall not become mixed. Do not turn them 
over. Sprinkle a very little salt upon them, and as soon as 
the white becomes set, cut them apart with a knife, and 
serve them carefully on a hot platter. 

Boiled Eggs.— First wash the eggs, carefully removing 
spots or stains; put them into a pitcher, and pour over them 
enough boiling water to cover them completely. Set the 
pitcher aside until the water cools to blood-heat; then pour 
it all off, and again cover the eggs with boiling water. In 
five minutes more the eggs will be ready to serve. 

If it is necessary to cook the eggs quickly, put them 
into boiling water, and boil them just three minutes. For 
hard-boiled eg^s. boil four or five minutes. 

Poached Eggs.— Have a skillet half filled with water 
just hot enough to simmer, in which dissolve one half of a 
teaspoonful of salt. Break the eggs as above directed for 
fried eggs, and gently slip each one into the water separately. 
Do not allow the water to boil hard; it should simmer 




32 


ART OF COOKERY. 


slowly until the white of the egg is hardened. With a 
spoon take up some of the hot water and pour it over the 
eggs, so that they maybe cooked on all sides without turn¬ 
ing them over. Take up each egg separately with a per¬ 
forated skimmer, and place it upon a piece of buttered 
toast, or serve without toast. 

Baked Omelet.— Have six eggs, one cup of sweet milk, 
one even tablespoonful of flour, one teaspoonful of melted 
butter, one quarter of a teaspoonful of salt,and a very little 
pepper. 

Break the eggs, separating the yolks from the whites; 
beat the whites to a stiff froth; beat the yolks also. Warm 
the milk, and add the butter to it. Mix the flour with a 
little of the milk, stirring it to a paste, and adding as you 
stir the rest of the milk, the beaten eggs, the salt, and the 
dash of pepper, mixing completely. Into a buttered pud¬ 
ding-dish pour the mixture; set it into the oven, and bake 
twenty minutes. Serve it in the dish in which it is baked. 

rules. 

1. To fry eggs, have the fat hot. 

2. Break the eggs carefully, and put each in separately. 

3. Never turn the eggs. 

4. Cut the eggs apart, and dish so as not to break the 
yolks. 

5. To boil eggs in the shell, cover them in a pitcher 
with boiling water; let it cool; pour off; again cover with 
boiling water; let stand five minutes more. 

6. To boil eggs quick, put into boiling water and boil 
three minutes for soft eggs, or five minutes for hard. 

7. To poach eggs, break them and put into hot water; 
simmer slowly till the white is hardened. 

8. Serve poached eggs on buttered toast, or without it. 


EGGS—FRIED, BOILED, POACHED, OMELET. 33 

9. For a baked omelet, the eggs must be well beaten 
and mixed with the milk; bake until a knife passed through 
it will come out clean. 

Questions.— What kind of eggs should be used for 
cookin g ? What kind of fat is used for frying eggs? How 
do you break them? Do you turn them while frying? How 
do you prepare eggs for boiling? How many times do you 
pour water upon the eggs? How hot must it be? How can 
you boil them the quick way? How do you poach eggs? 
With what do you serve poached eggs? What are the in¬ 
gredients of a baked omelet? How do you prepare the 
eofsrs for mixing? 

Comments. —Eggs are easily cooked; and as they are very nutri¬ 
tious, they are very desirable for table use when they can be bought 
at reasonable rates. 

The directions here given for boiling eggs will be found very 
satisfactory, if exactly followed, especially for young and inexperi¬ 
enced cooks. To boil eggs in the usual way, a clock or watch must 
be at hand to show just how long they are boiled. 

Scrambled eggs are made thus; Break four eggs into half a 
pint of cold sweet milk; add salt and pepper and a small bit of but¬ 
ter; put the mixture in a clean tin dish over the fire, and stir con¬ 
stantly, breaking the yolks as you do so, until the heat thickens the 
mass to the consistency of a soft omelet. 

The usual way of making an omelet is to break the eggs and beat 
them up together, adding salt and pepper; have a clean, smooth fry¬ 
ing-pan; put into it an even teaspoonful of butter; put on the fire; 
and when the butter is hot, pour in the eggs, and stir gently until 
the egg is set. Allow it to brown a little; fold one half over upon 
the other, and turn it upon a hot dish. Not more than three eggs 
can be put in a single omelet, if made in this way. 

It requires some skill and experience to make a delicate, light 
omelet, if made as above directed; but the baked omelet maybe 
made by a young girl, and is a nice dish for the breakfast table. 


3 




34 


ART OF COOKERY. 


CHAPTEE XII. 

BEEFSTEAK, BROILED AND FRIED ; ROAST BEEF. 

Beefsteak Broiled.— If you are. to broil steak for 
breakfast, you must plan your lire for broiling. "Clear hot 
coals will be needed ; so you must see that there is plenty 
of coal in the stove half an hour before you need the fire, so 
that all the smoke may be burned off, and the coals left 
clear and hot. 

First, trim the steak by cutting off the tough edge and 
removing the bones and extra fat ; save all bones and trim¬ 
mings for the soup pot. The fire should be about five 
inches from the top of the stove, or from the gridiron. 

Place the steak upon the gridiron ; and just as soon as 
the steak begins to drip, turn it over, being careful not to 
allow the juices to escape into the fire. In a few minutes, 
turn it again. Frequent turning will prevent the juice 
from dripping, and will thus preserve the flavor of the steak. 
Be very careful not to allow the meat to burn ; constant 
watchfulness will be required to broil a steak. 

When it is well browned upon both sides and has been 
cooking about ten minutes, place it upon a hot dish, and 
season with salt and pepper ; and a little butter may be 
allowed to melt in the dish. To make sure that the steak is 
well cooked, cut through the thickest part and see how it 
looks ; the meat should be red in the middle ; but if it has 
a purple tint, it is raw, and must be returned to the grid¬ 
iron again. 

To season one pound of steak, you will need about one 
half of an even teaspoonful of salt and a little dust of pep- 




BEEFSTEAK, BROILED AND FRIED ; ROAST BEEF. 35 

per on each side of the steak. Serve on a hot dish. A 
steak three quarters of an inch thick requires ten minutes 
time lor broiling, as said above ; a thinner steak takes less 
time. 

Beefsteak Fried.— Prepare the stake as for broiling. 
Put just enough butter into the frying-pan to prevent the 
steak from sticking to the pan. When the pan is quite hot, 
put in the steak ; have the fire just as hot as it can be 
without burning the meat. Turn-the steak over often to 
keep the juices from escaping ; and keep up the hear until 
the steak is cooked. 

If the pan becomes too cool, the meat will simmer in its 
own juices ; this will make it tough and tasteless ; then it 
is better to take the steak out upon a dish, and wash the 
pan, and begin over again with a better fire. 

When the meat is about half cooked, it may be seasoned 
with salt and pepper, as directed for broiled steak ; sprinkle 
it evenly on both sides of the steak. About fifteen minutes 
will be required to fry a steak which is cut three-quarters 
of an inch thick. Dish a fried steak just as you do a broiled 
one. If there are juices left in the pan, rinse it with a little 
hot water, and pour the gravy thus made into the dish with 
the steak. 

Roast Beef—Baked Beef.— In these days beef is not 
often roasted, that is, cooked by the direct heat of the fire ; 
and when people speak of roast beef, they mean baked beef 
that is cooked in an oven. The best piece of beef for roast¬ 
ing or baking; is cut from the sixth and seventh ribs. The 
butcher should cut out the bones and roll the meat into a 
neat form, and tie it or fasten it with wooden pins. Be sure 
to have him send the bones all home, as they may be used 
for soup. 





36 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Do not wash the meat ; if there are any parts which 
seem not to be clean, trim them off with a sharp knife. If j 
you have little iron skewers, fasten the roast with these, 
and draw out the wooden ones. Have the oven very hot ; 
and the dripping-pan should be hot also. Put the meat 
into the pan, and set it into the oven. Do not put any 
water into the pan ; and do not salt the meat when you first 
put it in to bake. 

When the roast has been in about fifteen minutes, 
sprinkle over it salt and pepper, and put a cupful of hot 
water into the dripping-pan. An hour and a half will be 
required for baking a six-pound roast, or about fifteen min¬ 
utes to each pound of meat ; and during this time the roast 
should be turned over four or five times. 

Young cooks should be very careful in putting water 
into a hot dripping-pan ; put in a little at a time, lest the 
hot fat fly out and burn you. 

When the roast is done, take the pan out, and set it on 
the top of the stove. Lift the meat carefully with a large 
fork, and place it upon a platter. To make the gravy, put 
a little more hot water into tiie pan, and set it where it will 
boil. Then, to one pint of gravy take one heaping table- 
spoonful of flour ; mix the flour with just enough cold water 
to make a smooth paste ; mash out every lump ; then stir 
the paste into the gravy. 

Season with salt and pepper ; stir carefully to make the 
gravy smooth and free from lumps. Just as soon as the 
gravy has boiled up all through and is well mixed, it is 
ready to pour into the gravy dish. In seasoning the gravy, 
taste it ; better put in too little salt than too much, for more 
can easily be added at the table ; but if you put in too 
much, the gravy is spoiled. 





BEEFSTEAK, BROILED AND FRIED ; ROAST BEEF. 37 

RULES. 

1. Half an hour before broiling steak, look to the fire, 
so that it shall be clear of smoke when wanted for broiling. 

u 

2. Prepare the steak by trimming off the extra fat, cut¬ 
ting out bones, and taking off gristly edges. 

3. Turn the steak frequently to prevent the escape of 
juices into the fire. 

4. Watch constantly to prevent burning and to see 
that the cooking is just right. 

5. When the steak is dished, season it with salt and 
pepper and a little butter. 

G. To fry a steak, have a very hot skillet, and turn fre¬ 
quently, to prevent burning ; keep the pan very hot. 

7. Never wash beef that is to be used for steak or 
roasting. 

8. For baking beef, have the oven very hot, and do not 
season the meat until it is partly cooked. 

9. For thickening gravy, use one full tablespoonful of 
flour to a pint of gravy. 

10. Always taste gravies to see that they are properly 
seasoned. 

Questions. —How do you prepare a fire for broiling ? 
How trim a steak ? How do you keep a steak from burning ? 
Can you do other work while the steak is broiling? How can 
you tell when the meat is cooked enough ? How do you season 
a steak ? How do you fry a steak ? What part of the beef 
makes the best roast ? Why should beef not be washed ? 
What kind of oven heat is needed for baking meat ? Do 
you wash beefsteak or beef for roasting ? Why not ? 
When do you season the roast ? How long should six 
pounds of beef be in the oven to roast it properly ? 

Comments. —The cooking of meats is so difficult and requires so 
much experience that but one chapter upon the subject is given in 




38 


art of cookery. 


this primer. Beefsteak and roast beef are in such common use tha 
you should try to learn to cook them properly. 

Remember that the secret of having good juicy beef is to cook it 
in such a way as to keep all the juices in the meat. If you soak or 
even wash the beef, the juices will escape; so no water must be used 
Then if the meat is allowed to cook slowly, simmering over a slow 
fire, the juices will run out, and the beef will become very tough. 

So try to remember that when the meat first comes in contact 
with the fire the heat must be so great as to close the pores of the 
meat by making a sort of crust upon it, and thus prevent the escape 
of juices. 

For the same reason, do not put salt upon the meat until it has I 
begun to cook ; for the salt will at once have the effect of drawing 
out the juices and hardening the fibers of the meat. 

Another hint about roasting beef : If time is short and the oven 
is not quite as hot as it should be, the cooking can be hastened and 
yet well done by laying the meat into a hot skillet and frying it brown 
on each side before it is set into the oven. 

A roast should be turned while baking,.because generally more 
heat comes from above than from below; so a roast will be scorched 
on top and ill-cooked in the middle and on the bottom, unless it is 
turned. Put more hot water into the pan only when necessary. 

In broiling a steak, a gridiron of wire, one that doubles or folds 
over, is best. If an old-fashioned gridiron is used, the steak must 
be frequently turned upon it with a fork. 

There are many nice ways of boiling or stewing beef, which are 
given in larger books. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

» 

APPLES —BAKED AND STEWED. 

For baking, select apples which are of nearly the same 
size; wash them clean, and cut away any defective parts; 
also cut out the blossom end; then place the apples in a 
clean baking-pan, with the cut ends up. Put a little sugar 
on the top of each apple, and pour water into the pan to the 


. 






APPLES-BAKED AND STEWED. 


39 


depth of an inch. Put the pan into a baking oven. If the 
apples are tender, and of medium size, they will bake in 
half an hour. Try them with a broom-straw to see if they 
are all baked soft. 

When the apples are done, take each apple from the 
pan and place it carefully in a dish, arranging the fruit 
neatly; then return the pan to the stove, and put one half 
cupful of sugar with the water in the pan, and allow the 
syrup to boil a few minutes; pour the syrup over the apples 
and they are ready to serve. 

Another way to bake apples is to peel them, and take 
out the cores with an apple-corer; fill with sugar the holes 
left by the corer; then bake as before. 

To Stew Apples. —You will need a clean, bright kettle 
or stew-pan; peel the apples very carefully; then cut them 
into quarters, and cut out the cores. Make a syrup by 
taking one pint of water to one half-pint of sugar, and boil 
the syrup a few minutes with a stick of cinnamon, or a bit 
of orange peel, or a part of a lemon. Then drop in the 
apples; cover the kettle with a closely-fitting cover, and 
stew gently for twenty minutes, or until the apples are quite 
soft. Never stir apples while they are cooking; to prevent 
them from sticking to the bottom, shake the kettle, and keep 
the heat below the burning point. If care is taken in dish¬ 
ing the apples, they may be kept from breaking. If apple 
sauce (fine) is wanted, do not make a syrup; but put the 
apples into a little clear water, cover them, and cook till 
soft; then add sugar and flavoring, and stir all together. 

rules. 

1. Wash the apples and cut out all defective parts, and 
the blossom end also. 


40 


ART OF COOKERY. 


2. Put sugar on the apples; put water into the pan, and 
bake one half of an hour. 

3. When the apples are done, place them in a dish, and 

* 

make a syrup to pour over them. 

4. To stew apples, have a clean, bright kettle. 

5. Make a syrup by taking one pint of water to one 
half-pint of sugar; when this is boiling, drop in the peeled 
and quartered apples. 

6. Cover the kettle, and stew slowly for twenty min¬ 
utes, or until the apples are soft. 

Questions. —How do you prepare the apples for baking? 
What do you do with the sugar? How much water should 
be put into the pan? How long should the apples bake? 
How do you make the syrup to pour over them? How do 
you prepare apples to stew? What kind of a kettle do you 
need to use? How do you make the syrup to cook the ap¬ 
ples in? How is fine apple sauce made? Do you stir the 
apples while they are cooking? How do you keep them 
from burning to the bottom of the kettle? 

Comments. —Apples are the most common, and also the most 
healthful, of all the fruits. In buying apples, select those which are 
sound, and regular in shape; if they are to be used for cooking, they 
should be slightly sour. Baked sweet apples are very good; but they 
require more time for baking than sour ones. 

Many desserts may be made with apples, the most common being 
apple pies. Directions for making pie-crust are given in a following 
lesson. 

Prepare the apples for pies by peeling and cutting them into thin 
slices. Cover the pie-plate with crust rolled quite thin; put in the 
apples, heaping the pie slightly ; then cover with another crust, and 
trim off the edges neatly. While the pie is baking, make a syrup 
with one cup of sugar to one cup of water; boil it a few minutes 
with a little grated lemon rind and the juice of half a lemon; or the 
outer rind of an orange, grated, may be used with the juice of the 
orange. This quantity of syrup is enough for two pies of medium 






CUSTARDS-PUDDINGS-CORN-STARCII AND RICE. 41 


size. When the pie is baked until the apples are soft, take it out, 
remove the top crust, pour in the syrup, and return the crust. 

I have taken the above receipt from Mrs. Ewing’s book; it will 
give a most delicious pie, if the apples are of good quality, and the 
crust is well made. It requires experience, however, to make pies; 
and young girls should not attempt to do this work, unless some older 
and experienced person can be at hand to watch and assist in the 
process. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

CUSTARDS—PUDDINGS—CORN-STARCH AND RICE. 

Baked Custard.— Ingredients: One quart of sweet 
milk, four eggs, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, one fourth of 
a teaspoonful of salt, and a flavoring of nutmeg, or one 
teaspoonful of extract of lemon or vanilla. 

Break the eggs and beat them well; add the flavoring, 
sugar, salt and milk, stirring all thoroughly together. Pour 
the mixture into teacups, and set the cups into a dripping- 
pan half filled with water; set the pan into the oven, and 
bake thirty minutes, or until no milk is left in the cup. 
Test with a broom straw, which comes out clean when the 
custard is cooked. If allowed to bake too long, the custard 
will become watery. 

Boiled Custard. —Ingredients the same as for baked 
custard. Reserve almost a cupful of the milk, and put the 
rest of it on to boil in a double kettle. (A former chapter 
has told you how to make a double kettle if you have not 
one.) Beat the eggs and mix with them the sugar and the 
reserved milk. When the milk in the kettle is boiling hot, 
stir the mixture into it, and continue to stir until the cus¬ 
tard thickens. Do not let it boil; it should only be scalded 
throuo-h. Dish the custard, and set it aside to cool. When 
it is cold, add the flavoring. 







42 


ART OF COOKERY. 


Corn-Starcii Pudding. —Ingredients: One quart of 
sweet milk, four eggs, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, two 
heaping tablespoonfuls of corn-starch, a little salt, one tea¬ 
spoonful of extract of lemon or vanilla for flavoring, and 
one tablespoonful of pulverized sugar for icing. 

Set the milk to boil in a double kettle; break the eggs, 
separating the yolks from the whites; mix the corn-starch 
into a paste with four tablespoonfuls of the milk, cold. 
Then beat the yolks well, and mix them with the sugar and 
the starch paste; add a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, 
and stir the mixture into the milk, just before it comes to 
a boil; continue stirring until it thickens completely; then 
pour the boiling mixture into a pudding dish. Now beat 
the whites to a stiff froth, and mix with it the tablespoon¬ 
ful of pulverized sugar; spread this over the pudding, and 
set the dish into the oven for five minutes, or until the pud¬ 
ding is lightly browned. Take it out and set it aside to 
cool; it is much nicer when cold. 

Rice Pudding. —Ingredients: Two quarts of sweet 
milk, half a teacupful of rice, one teacupful of sugar, one 
half teaspoonful of salt, and a little grated nutmeg. Wash 
the rice carefully; then put all the ingredients together in 
a pudding-dish or pan, mixing them well. Set into a mod¬ 
erate oven to bake. Two hours are required for baking 
this pudding; and the fire should be kept low, to give time 
to soften the rice, and prevent burning the top of the pud¬ 
ding. This pudding should always be eaten cold. 

RULES. 

1. For baked custard, use four eggs to one quart of 
fresh sweet milk, with sugar and flavoring to the taste. 

2. Custards should never be allowed to boil; they 
should be heated just enough to thicken the eggs. 




CUSTARDS—PUDDINGS—CORN-STARCII AND RICE. 43 


3. If corn-starch is used to thicken the pudding, the 
milk should be boiling hot when the thickening is put in. 

4. For a rice pudding, use one half a cupful of rice to 
two quarts ot sweet milk; one cup of sugar, and a half 
teaspoonful of salt. 

5. Bake a rice pudding two hours in a slow oven, being 
careful not to let it burn on the top. 

6. Let a rice pudding stand until it is cold before it is 
eaten. 

Questions.— What are the ingredients for a baked cus¬ 
tard? Tell just how you make a custard? How should the 
custard be baked? What will happen if the custard is left 
too long in the oven? What is needed to make a boiled 
custard? How do you make a double kettle? What are 
the ingredients for a corn-starch pudding? Tell how to 
make a corn-starch pudding. Do we eat this pudding hot 
or cold? Give the ingredients of a rice pudding. How 
do you bake a rice puddin g? I s this pudding to be eaten 
hot or cold? 

Comments. —The combination of milk and eggs forms the 
foundation for a great variety of desserts. Of course, both eggs and 
milk must be sweet and good. If there is any doubt about the 
freshness of the milk, it is best to boil it in the double kettle before 
using it; milk that is not perfectly sweet will curdle in the process 
of heating. 

Custards are much improved by the addition of a little cream to 
the milk used. A cup custard is so simple that a child can prepare 
it; and it is a most nutritious and agreeable dessert. By an invalid, 
it may be taken for food; and it is generally digested by the most 
delicate stomach. 

A custard may be baked in a pudding dish or pan, if cups are 
not at hand. Old cups should be used for baking, as the heat will 
injure cups which are to be used upon the table. 

The most common way of making a rice pudding is to boil the 
rice first, and then add milk, eggs and sugar; but the recipe here 
given makes a much nicer pudding; and as it is good cold, it makes 






44 ART OF COOKERY. 

a convenient dessert for a Sunday dinner. One half teacupful of 
rice seems very little for two quarts of milk; but it will be found to 
be quite enough. If anymore is used, the pudding will be spoiled 
by being too stiff when baked. 


chapter xv. 

CAKE AND PASTRY. 

Before you begin to make cake, you should have every¬ 
thing ready; a good baking fire in the stove; the bread¬ 
board set upon the table; the pans for baking the cake set 
out, wiped clean, and greased properly. 

Then set out, ready for use, all the ingredients to be 
used. Flour must be sifted; sugar rolled; butter slightly 
warmed; eggs must be broken, separated, and well beaten. 
Break each egg over a saucer, lest some one should be unfit 
for use; beat the yolks first, and set them aside while you 
beat the whites to a stiff froth. Use an earthen bowl for 
mixing cake, and stir with a wooden spoon. 

Cup Cake.— Ingredients: One half cupful of butter, 
one cupful of cold water, two cupfuls of sugar, three eggs, 
and four cupfuls of flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls of bak¬ 
ing powder, and, for flavoring, some nutmeg, or one tea¬ 
spoonful of extract of lemon or vanilla. 

Mix the baking powder with the flour dry, and pass it 
through the sieve several times; mix the butter and sugar 
together, and beat or stir them together until the mixture 
is white and creamy; then add the yolks of the eggs, the 
water, and the flavoring. Stir these well together; then 
add the flour, a little at a time, and the whites of the eo*crs 
in the same way, along with the flour. 



CAKE AND PASTRY. 


45 


After all is well mixed, put it into the pans, and bake at 
once. The oven should not be very hot at first. The cake 
should not be moved about in the oven; if it must be 
moved, do it with great care. If it begins to brown upon 
the top before it lias risen up, lay a bit of paper over the 
cake. 

When the cake has risen, and appears to be well baked, 
take a broom-straw and pierce the cake; if i„ comes out 
clean, the cake is done. Leave it in the pan for ten min¬ 
utes, or until it will fall from the pan easily. 

Ginger Cake.— Ingredients: One cupful of New Or¬ 
leans molasses, one cupful of boiling water, one quarter of 
a cupful of butter or lard, one teaspoonful of ginger, one 
half a teaspoonful of soda, and two cupfuls of sifted flour. 

Put the ginger, molasses, and butter together in the 
mixing bowl; dissolve the soda in the hot water, and stir it 
into the mixture in the bowl; then add the flour carefully, 
stirring so as to prevent the making of any lumps. Pour 
the mixture into a well-greased dripping pan. Bake in a 
very moderately heated oven. 

Plain Pastry.— Ingredients: One teacupful ’of lard, 
four cupfuls of Hour, one half teaspoonful of salt, and one 
cupful of very cold water. 

Have the lard very cold; sift the flour on to the molding 
board; divide the flour, leaving about one third of it to one 
side on the board; cut the lard up with the rest of the flour, 
using a knife for the purpose; put in the salt, and continue 
cutting: and mixing: the lard with the flour until it is all 
quite fine. 

Then pour a little of the water into the mixture, being 
very careful to keep all in a compact mass. Continue put¬ 
ting in water and stirring gently with a knife, until the 


46 


ART OF COOKERY. 


dough is a consistent mass. Now, you may use some of 
the reserved flour to flour a place upon the board. 

Cut off about one fourth of the crust, and lay it on the I 
floured place; sprinkle flour over the crust, and roll it with 
the rolling-pin until it is quite thin. Put the crust thus 
rolled into a pie-pan, and press it down gently. Trim off 
the edges. The pie may now be filled with the fruit, and 
this covered with another crust, rolled as before. 

This quantity of crust will make two pies. Remember 


to handle the crust just as little as possible; the warmth of 
the hand will melt the lard, which should not be melted 
until the pie is in the oven. 

In the chapter on apples, find a receipt for apple pie. 


RULES. 

1. Be sure to get everything ready before you begin 
to make cake. 

2. Flour must be sifted, sugar rolled, eggs carefully 
broken, with the yolks separated from the whites. 

3. Use an earthen bowl for mixing cake, and a wooden 
spoon for stirring it. 

4. Always mix baking powder with the flour dry, and 
pass it through the sieve several times, to mix it thoroughly. 

5. Mix the butter and sugar together first, and stir them 
until the mixture is white and creamy. 

6. When the cake is put into the oven to bake, watch 
it carefully, and cover with paper if there is danger of 










burnino;. 


7. Ginger cake should be baked in a moderate oven, 
as it is very liable to burn. 

8. For pie crust, have the lard very cold, and use cold 
water for making the dough. 

9. Use a knife for mixing the pastry; handle the dough 
just as little as possible. 



CAKE AND PASTRY. 


4 ? 


Questions.— What is the first thing to be done when 
you are to make cake? How do you prepare the flour, sugar 
and eggs? What do you use to mix the cake in? What do 
you do with the baking powder? How do you prepare the 
butter and sugar? How do you prevent the cake from 
burning on the top? Give the ingredients for cup cake? 
For ginger cake? What kind of an oven do you need for 
ginger cake? What can you tell about making pie crust? 

Comments. —It is quite difficult for young cooks to separate the 
yolks of eggs from the whites; and the least bit of yolk left with 
the whites will prevent the whites from beating up into a nice froth. 
Have ready a bowl for the yolks and a dish for the whites; also a 
saucer. 

Give the egg a quick blow upon the table; then hold it over the 
saucer, allowing the white to escape into the saucer, but keeping the 
yolk in one half of the shell. Then turn the yolk into the other half 
of the shell, and turn out all the white into the saucer. 

Now drop the yolk into the bowl, and pour out the white into 
the dish. Proceed with each egg in the same way. Never break an 
egg over the other eggs, lest it should prove to be a bad one. 

The subject of cake-baking is such a large one that we can take 
but the first lesson of it in this little book. If you will practice 
until you can make these two kinds just right, and especially if you 
succeed in baking them properly, you will have learned the secret of 
cake-baking. 

Pastry is more difficult to make than cake; and you will need 
the direction and assistance of some one who has had experience in 
such work. Butter is generally used in making the nicest pastry; 
but to make what is called pull-paste, is altogether too difficult for a 
young cook to attempt it. 


48 


art of cookery. 


CHAPTER XVI. 



OYSTERS —RAW, STEWED AND SCALLOPED 

In buying oysters, be sure that they are perfectly fresh. 

To serve oysters raw, first drain off the liquor ; then 
sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper, and set them in 
a cool place for half an hour before serving them. Lemons 
should be sliced and laid around the edges of the dish upon 
which the oysters are served, and some pieces served to 
each person. 


Oyster Stew.— Ingredients—one quart of oysters, one 
half-pint of water, one half-pint of sweet milk, one table¬ 
spoonful of butter, with pepper and salt. 

Put the oysters into a sauce-pan, and add the water. Set 
the pan on the fire to boil, .fust as soon as the oj^sters are 
scalded through (they should not be allowed to boil), skim 
them out into a hot dish. Now add the milk to the liquor 
in the pan, and season with salt and pepper. As soon as 
this mixture comes to a boil, skim it carefully; Add the 
butter, cut into bits, and pour the liquor over the oysters. 


Scalloped Oysters.— Ingredients—one quart of oys¬ 
ters, one teacupful of bread-crumbs, one teacupful of the 
liquor of the oysters, one tablespoonful of butter, salt and 
pepper. 

Drain the oysters, carefully saving all the liquor. Have 
the bread-crumbs very fine and dry. Mix the butter with 
the crumbs, rubbing them well together with the hand. 
Season the oysters with salt and pepper. 




OYSTERS—RAW, STEWED AND SCALLOPED. 


49 


Take a shallow pudding-dish, and first sprinkle in a 
layer of bread-crumbs ; then put in a layer of oysters ; then 
crumbs ; and proceed in this way till all are used, having 
crumbs for the top layer. Now pour the liquor, mixed 
with a little water, through a strainer, over the dish ; there 
should be enough of the liquor to wet the crumbs all 
through ; if there is not enough, add water to the liquor. 
Put into a hot oven, and bake about twenty minutes. 

Comments. —It is best to buy oysters in bulk when they can be 
had in that way. If cans are bought, see that they are in good shape. 
If the sides are bulged, the oysters are spoiled. Bits of shell are often 
found in the bottom of the can or mixed with the oysters; great care 
should be taken to get them all out before the oysters are put on to 
cook. It is sometimes necessary to wash the oysters and throw away 
the liquor. If they are not perfectly fresh, they are much improved by 
being rinsed in cold water. 

The bread crumbs for scalloped oysters must be very fine and dry 
to mix well with the butter. Cracker crumbs are often used these 
are quickly prepared by rolling the crackers, but the scallops will not 
have so fine a flavor as when good bread crumbs are used, which may 
be dried in a warm oven. 

In selecting a dish for scallops, take one which is not very deep- 
Three layers of oysters make the best dish, because they are quickly 
healed through ; if a deep dish is used, the oysters in the upper and 
lower layers are cooked too much before the middle one is done. 

A nicer way to stew oysters is this : Cook the oysters in their own 
juice, without any added water, till scalded through ; then poui all 
into a colander over a dish. Dry the sauce-pan and return it to the 
fire ; put in the butter, and when it begins to simmer, stir in one table¬ 
spoonful of flour; stir it well, and allow to cook a minute, being care 
ful not to let it brown. Now add the liquor that was drained off, and 
one half cupful of cream, stirring constantly ; season to the taste, 
.lust as soon as this is cooked through, return the oysters to the sauce¬ 
pan, stirring them in ; when all is heated to the boiling-point, dish 

for the table. , 

Crackers and pickles are always served with raw or stewed 

oysters. 


4 


50 


ART OF COOKERY. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

HOW TO COOK A PLAIN DINNER. 

Bill of Fare. —Roast of Beef, with gravy. Mashed 
Potatoes. Salad, Lettuce. Dessert—Baked Apples, with 
Cream. Coffee. 

Time of serving, 1 p.m. 

10 a.m. Select the potatoes and peel them, as directed 
on page 18, and put them to soak in cold water. 

10:30. Build a fire for baking (p. 5), and set the tea¬ 
kettle on the stove (p. 54) half filled with water. 

11. Turn or slide the damper to heat the oven. Prepare 
the roast (pp. 35, 36); also prepare the apples (p. 38), which 
should be sour apples (p. 40). Look well to the fire. 

11:30. Set in the roast to bake, and the pan of apples, 
giving the roast the hottest part of the oven. Begin to set 
the table. See that the cruets are all in order—vinegar, 
mustard, and sweet oil may be needed for the lettuce. 

11:45. Open the oven ; season the meat aiul turn it 
over (p. 36); put water in the pan. Turn round the pan of 
apples if they are cooking faster on one side than the other. 
Fill a sauce-pan half full of water, and set it on the stove to 
boil, for the potatoes. Look after the fire. 

Now prepare the lettuce by cutting off the roots and 
washing it very carefully in cold water. Examine each leaf 
to see that it is perfectly clean. Arrange it neatly on a dish 
and set it in a cool place. Do not forget to turn the meat 
(p. 36). Finish setting the table. 

12:15. Put the potatoes in to boil (p. 18). Be sure to 







HOW TO COOK A PLAIN DINNER. 


51 


cover the sauce-pan and keep them boiling steadily (p.19). 
The roast will now need attention ; and the apples, if all 
well done, may be taken out and dished for the table. Now 
prepare the coffee, as directed in Chapter II. 

If you have time now, cut the bread and arrange it on 
a plate, ready for the table. Put the butter in its dish, and 
set it in a cool place till wanted. Make ready the cream for 
the apples in a cream pitcher. Put the serving dishes into 
the warming oven to warm, Watch the fire. 

12:40. Try the potatoes (p. 19); if done, drain them, 
and cover them to steam, while you warm a little cream and 
butter to put into them. Mash, season and dish them (p. 
23), and set the dish into the warming oven. Attend to 
the coffee (pp. 7, 9). Watch the fire. 

12:50. Take up the roast (p. 36), and make the gravy 
(p. 36). Fill the glasses with water now (not sooner), and 
and set the dinner all upon the table. Have the dessert 
plates and the apples and cream on a side table, near at 
hand ; also the cups and saucers for the coffee. 

1 p.m. Call the family to dinner. 

Comments —It is very difficult for a young cook to learn to get 
a dinner without help. I have given directions for a very plain din¬ 
ner, with just as little variety as possible. 

The girl should have learned, before trying to prepare the entire 
meal herself, to cook each particular article. Thus she should have 
practiced roasting the beef and making the gravy several times, as 
one lesson; to boil and mash potatoes would make another lesson ; 
thus the cooking of each article should be learned before she tries to 
cook all together. 

The management of the fire is another difficulty. In giving these 
directions, I have presumed that hard coal is to be used ; chestnut 
size is best. A fire built of this will need but little attention if well 
built at first. The heat which is sufficient to roast beef well will cook 
all the other articles easily. 

I direct the coffee for dessert. Of course it can be served with 


52 


ART OF COOKERY. 


the dinner, but the addition of serving hot coffee with dinner makes 
the work much greater, and it is better to serve it in small cups for 
the dessert only. 

The first attempt at cooking a dinner, even so simple a dinner as 
this, will very likely prove a failure ; but if our young cook will per 
severe, she will, after a few trials, be successful. 

Directions for setting tables, and other work relating to the 
kitchen and dining-room, are in the first primer of this series, which 
our young housekeeper is supposed to have carefully studied and 
well learned. 


! 


. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 


HINTS TO YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS. 

Keep all cooking utensils clean and dry. Iron kettles 

should be smooth, and entirely free from rust; to secure 

this, always, after washing and wiping them, set them on 

the stove till thoroughly dry, before putting them away. 

Coffee-pots should be washed and dried every day. If 

tne cold coffee is to be saved, pour it off carefully from the 

grounds into a pitcher or other earthenware vessel. The 
« 

teapot should be emptied, washed s and dried, every time it 
is used. 

All cooking vessels should be filled with water, to soak, 
just as soon as the food is dished. 

Have a special cloth for handling hot cooking vessels, 
and for removing hot things from the oven. Make a cloth 
to use for this purpose by stitching together several thick¬ 
nesses of old calico. 

Do not use dish-towels, and especially do not take your 
apron, to lift hot pies or greasy dripping-pans from the oven. 
Have a place for the stove-lifter, and always keep it in 




HINTS TO YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS. 


53 


its place; never leave it sticking into a stove-cover to be¬ 
come too hot to handle. 

Have clean brown paper at hand to lay upon the kitchen 
table while serving the dinner, to protect the table from 
becoming soiled. For this purpose, save the paper from 
the grocer’s. 

After each baking, remove from the bread-box all crusts 
and crumbs of bread; have the box washed and dried be¬ 
fore putting away the new bread. Dry all crusts and 
crumbs, and put them into a covered tin can, to use for 
puddings or dressings for meat. 

The cloths used for covering the bread should be 
changed and put into the wash every week, to prevent 
mould in the bread. Mould is a plant which grows very 
rapidly, and will start from any seed left about the box or 
in the cloths. 

Every morning look through the closets and ice-chest, 
and take care of all cold food. Take all trimmings of beef¬ 
steaks, and the bones of meat of all kinds, and if they are 
not musty, stew them for gravy or stock. 

Never throw away good meat, or bones, or gristles, or 
fat from meat. Long boiling will reduce these scraps to 
stock, of which you can make gravy or soup; take out the 
bones and burn them; let the stock cool, and take off the 
fat to use as drippings in cooking. 

Do not allow things to stand upon the kitchen table 
when not needed there; always put everything away in its 
place after each meal. 

Do not leave kettles to soak after the regular time of 
washing dishes; after each meal all cooking utensils should 
be cleaned and put into their places. 

While waiting for the cooking of a meal, be washing up 


54 


ART OP COOKERY. 


and putting away any dirty dishes which may be standing 
about. 

When taking^ butter from a jar, be careful to cut out 
what you want neatly; and do not forget to cover the jar 


closely when you are done. Butter should be exposed to 


air and light as little as possible. 


When you use a knife to take up butter, never leave it 



sticking in the butter, or lying in the tub ; both knife and 


butter will be the worse for such neglect. 

Never return to the flour-barrel any flour that has been 
on the molding-board, and may have bits of dough in it; 
and never, on any account, put a bit of pie crust or other 
dough into a flour-barrel or a flour-box. 

Be careful to have always a supply of hot water in your 
teakettle; hot water is always needed in cooking; so never 
allow your teakettle to become empty. 






SONGS 


56 


CUSTARD SONG. 




Milk and fla - vor - mg com - plete: 




Make our cus - tard right. 




























































































































































































































Custard Song. 


CONCLUDED. 


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2 Cups we have, right at hand; 

Fill them with the custard bland; 

In the pan, water take; 

Set them in to bake. 

Half an hour they bear the heat; 

Now they’re cooked quite brown and neat; 
Try them all with a straw, 

Lest one still be raw. 

3 Just enough — not too long— 

Should they bear the oven strong, 

Lest they turn to curds and whey, 

And our cook betray. 

When to table these you bring, 

Let the guests your praises sing; 

Custards are — so they tell — 

Food for sick or well. 



























































































































58 the praise of potatoes. 



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Jer-seys, 



Ear - ly Rose; From our ta - bles none would 





spare Dain - ty, milk - white, nice po - ta-toes, Daint - y, 




milk-white,nice po - ta-toes. Choosing them to bake or 

















































































































































The Praise of Potatoes. CONCLUDED. 59 



boil, Take them all of e - qual size; Purge them 




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well of ev -’ry soil, Till each one in neat-ness 



lies — Till each one in neat - ness lies. 



2 Boil them in their jackets rough, 
Not too fast, and not too long; 


When at last they’re cooked enough, 
Prove it by the fork’s keen prong. 

Let them steam a little while; 

Then, as each with heat still glows, 
(Gaping wide, O, see them smile!) 

Serve the snowy, nice potatoes. 

2 Baked or mashed, or stewed, or fried, 
Rightly cooked, and served with grace. 
Fish or flesh or fowl beside, 

What can dare to take their place? 
Here we bring potatoes fair, 

Peach blows, Jerseys, Early Rose; 
From our tables none would spare 
Dainty, milk-white, nice potatoes. 



















































































































60 


BREAD - MAKING. 



1. The fields are all yel - low withtreas - ure of grain: The 

2. Witliwa - ter' and salt, too, of each a due share, And 

3. Into loaves we next part it, per-haps three or four, And 




1 



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1 With era - die or reap-er he sweeps o’er the plain, Till 

2 A place that is warm e-nough choose with great care, To 

3 In the pans we now put it, for rising once more. While 




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1 har - vest is brought in with joy and with song. 

2 set it to ris - ing for man - y an hour. 

3 the fire we’re pre - par - ing its work to pur - sue. 


































































































































































































Bread - Making. CONCLUDED. 61 



1 The mil - ler now gives us the flour of the wheat. As 

2 A sponge we first stir up, with stout i- ron spoon; When 

3 How proud from the ov - en our brown loaves we bring, As 




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1 fine as the dust and as white as the snow: 

2 read - y for more flour, work in by the hand; 

3 fra - grant as ap - pies, and hon - ey—sweet too! 

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1 To bread this is turned by the ov-en’s quick heat; And 

2 So mold it, and turn it, and tire not too soon, For 

3 The praise of the wlieat-sheaf let po - ets all sing, The 



• T I' T T ~1r TT -#■ 



1 liow best to do this our girls should all know. 

2 fin - er and whit - er it makes the loaf stand. 

3 food of the na - tions, the staff of life true! 































































































































































































02 

WHAT SHALL WEARY PEOPLE DRINK? 




Home from work re - turn - ing? ) 

Li - quors tierce and burn - ing? \ 





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Note.— The words “ Down with spirits' awful rule,*’ &c , may be used as 
a refrain after each half of verses II and III. 


B D - 2 3 2 
































































































































































63 


What Shall Weary People Drink? concluded, 



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2 Fragrant coffee, good and pure, 
Makes the dark world brighter; 


Gentle tea helps us endure, 

And our cares seem lighter. 
For the tea the pot prepare; 

Set the water boiling; 

Fill the spoon for every share; 
More the tea is spoiling. 

3 Coffee we must roast and grind. 
Making rich in savor; 

We must always keep in mind 
Boiling spoils the flavor. 

Thus we learn the way to make 
Tea and coffee steaming; 

For ourselves we always take 
Water bright and gleaming. 














































































































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